We finally got off the ship in Golfito, Costa Rica and toured Golfito National Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife wise, it left something to be desired. Saw a few Spider Monkeys, some hummingbirds, and a Costa Rican millipede. One thing we learned during the snack stop is that fresh pineapple grown nearby is a lot better than the ones we buy at home. A tip from our guide: buying the pineapple, look for one that's green in color. Cut a little off of the bottom, just enough to make a round port. Place it in about one cup of water, then wait overnight. The pineapple will rehydrate itself and taste better. We learned that the best coffee in the world comes from Costa Rica.
Next stop, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We drove quite a ways inland to San Luis Park for a walk in the clouds. Literally. This is a cloud rain forest and one crosses a number of suspension bridges on the way to the stream at the bottom of the area. Beautiful foliage all around, and they host a butterfly garden and a separate hummingbird garden. Lots of fun, but hummingbirds don't pose well for pictures.
Onward to Corinto, Nicaragua. Here, we are proud to say, we survived the Cerro Negro Trek. This whole area is rife with volcanos. Cerro Negro is one that used as an attraction. There's ziplining, but the big deal is to climb to the top and then slide down the side of the thing on a board. Just a plain old board about 18 inches across and five feet long. No, we didn't do that.
After a fairly treacherous climb up the volcano in 40 mph winds, we were treated to beautiful views, many of our flying hats and sunglasses. No, really, it was beautiful.
So, to descend without the board, you step down the same side of the mountain as the sliders. Think of walking straight downhill in a snow bowl with powder...only in this case it's volcanic ash. We have a new respect for the ash, since about a pound of it was inside each of our shoes when we got to the bottom. Here's Pati hot-footing it down.
Our sympathies to the stewards who wound up cleaning half a volcano off of the balconies. We learned that the best coffee in the world comes from Nicaragua.
We sailed overnight to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. The day before was Friday the 13th, especially for Seabourn Cruise Line. Their Seabourn Odyssey was sitting in port with a mechanical failure, and not a soul in sight. We took it easier in Guatemala, visiting the Finca El Barretal Coffee Plantation. The property was originally owned by the President of Guatemala (see President, read Dictator) who got ousted in 1944 after his form of Socialism stopped working for the masses, and especially the military. Anyway, we learned everything about how coffee is grown and processed, and we learned that the best coffee in the world comes from Guatemala.
